


You’ve Got That Medicine I Need

by whatihavewaiting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Anesthesia, Fluff, Hospitals, Human AU, made up medical knowledge, this is corny ‘one of us had surgery and anesthesia made us goofy’ fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 21:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13749765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatihavewaiting/pseuds/whatihavewaiting
Summary: “Has he been like this?” she asked Alec. “Complaining of pain?”“Um...kind of? He’s been groaning and stuff too,” Alec said.He decided to leave out how for the better part of the hour they’d been in a private room, Magnus had been staring at him like he hung the stars and rambling on and on about Alec’s eyes and Alec’s face and Alec’s hair and Alec’s ass and Alec’s hands and at one point Alec’s ears.





	You’ve Got That Medicine I Need

**Author's Note:**

> I have a weakness for sick!fic and I love this trope. All of the medical stuff is just my limited personal experience plus one google search so please don’t take it too seriously. 
> 
> I wrote this in the notes app on my phone so all typos/mistakes/grammar issues are mine. 
> 
> Title from Gods and Monsters by Lana Del   
> Rey 
> 
> I’m on tumblr @whatihavewaiting

When Alec’s phone rang an hour earlier, and someone asked if he was Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane’s emergency contact, his stomach had dropped and he felt all the air leave his lungs. 

Only now, sitting in the waiting room of the OR, was he finally starting to feel he could take a full breath. His stomach still hadn’t settled. The person on the phone couldn’t tell him much, and the man at the front desk could only send him here. 

But finally, the woman working the desk of the OR waiting room was able to answer some questions. 

Magnus was in surgery. He had acute appendicitis. He had been waiting for a client in a restaurant when he fainted, and was in excruciating pain when he came to. An ambulance brought him to the emergency room. 

There were concerns his appendix had burst, but it could just be inflamed. The surgeon would know more after the appendectomy and they would adjust the necessary antibiotics from there. 

The woman was kind and assured Alec that this was a common procedure and the surgeon was experienced. She handed Alec a clipboard full of paperwork to fill out while he waited. 

So that’s where he found himself. Filling out forms with Magnus’s information and waiting for news. The task steadied him, allowed him to focus on something other than the gnawing worry in his gut. 

————

“Bane family,” called the man from the door. 

Alec practically ran. 

“Yes, that’s me. I’m his husband. How is he? Can I see him?” Alec asked.

The man led Alec through the door and down a hall as he spoke,

“The surgery went well, no rupture or abscess, which is good news. He’s in the post-op recovery room now, which is where we’re headed. He should be waking up any moment. Has he ever had anesthesia before?”

“No, not that I know of,” said Alec.

“Oh, so an adventure then! Just a heads up, the combination of the anesthesia and the pain medication can cause a wide variety of reactions in patients, especially if they’ve never had it. Some wake up laughing, some crying, some confused or angry. Or some combination therein!” he added cheerfully. “I just like the families to be aware. It will wear off in a few hours at most.”  
————-

They entered the recovery room which was a large space filled with hospital beds separated only by sheets. The man stopped at the fourth stall and pulled back the sheet that created the door. 

Alec’s heart clenched as his brain went into overdrive trying to process everything that just seeing Magnus made him feel: the bone deep relief that he was here, alive and breathing right in front of him; the pain of knowing Magnus was in pain; the frustration that he was still asleep. 

And he looked so...different. Pale, but not exactly weak. Even in a hospital gown Alec could see the way the sleeves wouldn’t cooperate with Magnus’s biceps, how his shoulders still looked strong underneath the thin material. No, he didn’t look weak. He looked fragile. Breakable in a way Alec wasn’t used to seeing. 

The man who led him back was buzzing all around Magnus, looking at the beeping machines, adjusting cords and wires. 

“Uh, am I in the way?” Alec asked. 

“You’re fine where you are,” he said. “But you’re welcome to sit in that chair next to him. Just getting him ready to move from post-op into a regular room. After he wakes up, we’ll watch him here for about thirty minutes then off to a regular room for the night you all will go.”

As if on cue, Magnus began slowly blinking and moaning. 

“Welcome back!” the man said to him brightly. “How are you feeling?”

“Alec?” Magnus asked, his voice gravelly. 

“Actually, I’m Brian, and I’m going to be taking care of you for a little bit. But Alec is right here,” he said.

Alec squeezed Magnus’s hand and Magnus rolled his head to the side to look at him. 

Magnus smiled at Alec. 

“So beautiful,” he said, then immediately closed his eyes and went back to sleep. 

Alec looked up at Brian. Was this normal? Was he supposed to go back to sleep?

Brian, however, looked unconcerned and continued his work. 

“Hey, at least you know he likes you,” he said to Alec, shrugging. 

It only took another two minutes for Magnus to resurface, eyes finding Alec immediately, but then he started groaning in discomfort. 

“Hurts. What happened?” he asked. 

“Appendicitis. You fainted and they brought you the ER and you had to have surgery. I know it’s sore, but you’re going to be fine,” Alec said. 

Saying it out loud to a mostly awake Magnus finally allowed Alec to take a deep breath. Magnus was going to be fine. Brian began asking Magnus questions and Alec took a second to sit back and continue to inhale and exhale deeply a few times. 

He was pulled back when he felt Magnus squeezing his hand. 

“Glad you’re here,” said Magnus, his words still coming out slowly. 

“Of course I’m here,” Alec replied. 

“You’re so gorgeous. Look at you. So beautiful,” Magnus said. 

Alec tried to laugh it off, but Magnus persisted. 

“God. You’re like. A god. Yeah, like a beautiful Greek god, with a perfect face and a perfect body and you’ve got that tight as-“

“Jesus, Magnus!” Alec choked. “Ooookay, wow. Well, now we know what the anesthesia does to you.”

Alec let out another short laugh while Magnus continued to stare at him intensely. Brian finished scribbling in Magnus’s chart and told them someone would be in to take them to a private room in about twenty minutes. 

He winked and told Alec good luck on the way out. 

Magnus didn’t spend the whole twenty minutes telling Alec he was beautiful. He asked Alec about work (Alec had already called, Magnus’s assistant was going to reschedule anything urgent that week with Lydia and speak to the rest of his clients and explain). He asked Alec about pain medication (it’s not time yet, but it will be soon). He asked Alec who would feed the cat (Alec didn’t remind him they had two cats now, but assured him that Maia was stopping by later in the evening to check on them). 

But that was only about five of those minutes. The rest of the time was Magnus working himself up into a frenzy in an attempt to describe Alec’s beauty, while Alec thanked him, and tried to calm him down, and assured him that yes, he believed him, he knew how pretty he was. 

When someone showed up to wheel them to another room, Alec considered getting his phone out to record Magnus. Mostly to show Magnus later, but he knew Izzy and Maia would think it was hilarious too. When he settled into the only slightly more comfortable chair at Magnus’s bedside, and Magnus smiled sweetly and told him he hoped no one sent flowers because they would go to waste in any room Alexander was in, Alec felt guilty for wanting to tease him, even if he was being ridiculous. 

———-  
“Alright, Mr. Bane! I am Jacinta. I am your nurse for tonight. I just looked over your notes from surgery and post-op and the last shift. It looks like you might be about ready for some more pain medication. How are you feeling?”

Magnus tore his eyes away from Alec to look at his new nurse. 

“Bad. ‘m feeling bad,” he said.

“Ok,” the nurse said “scale of one to ten, what’s your pain?” 

“Bad. Hurts. Hurts bad. 100. Alec, tell her how bad it hurts,” he said, shifting his attention back to Alec. 

“Has he been like this?” she asked Alec. “Complaining of pain?”

“Um...kind of? He’s been groaning and stuff too,” Alec said.

He decided to leave out how for the better part of the hour they’d been in a private room, Magnus had been staring at him like he hung the stars and rambling on and on about Alec’s eyes and Alec’s face and Alec’s hair and Alec’s ass and Alec’s hands and at one point Alec’s ears.

“What did you say your name was again?” Magnus asked, eyes still on Alec but questioning the nurse. 

“Jacinta,” she said. 

“Jacin. Jacint. Jacinta” He made a face then laughed as her name rolled off his tongue. She laughed too, which Magnus seemed to enjoy as he smiled up at her. 

“Jacinta, have you met my boyfriend Alec? Look at him! Just look at him. He’s so beautiful. Like a painting. Like a sculpture. Like really good cake. So beautiful.” 

He was no longer speaking directly to Jacinta, having gone back to gazing at Alec like he was some tiny baby animal and tracing patterns on the back of Alec’s hand.

Alec blushed and rolled his eyes but Jacinta laughed as she adjusted the IV bag and said “it’s nice to meet you, beautiful boyfriend Alec.”

Alec smiled down at Magnus, who’s hands had gone still, then looked up at the nurse.

“I’m his husband, actually, but it’s nice to meet you too,” he said. 

“My husband?!!?” Magnus cried, gaping at Alec. “We’re married?!?!”

“Yeah, we’re married!” Alec said, working harder than ever to hold back a laugh at Magnus’s expense. 

“Somebody’s in trouble” came the sing-song voice of Jacinta as she took Magnus’s blood pressure. “That’s the kind of stuff you’re not supposed to forget!”

“Why don’t I remember?” Magnus asked, eyes beginning to fill with tears. 

Seeing the real distress on his face, Alec reached out and brushed his knuckles down Magnus’s cheek. 

“Hey, it’s ok. Don’t cry. It’s ok! It’s just the medicine, Magnus. It makes things confusing. It’s alright” Alec said soothingly. 

Magnus sniffled and almost as suddenly as the tears threatened to come on, they disappeared, replaced by a big, toothy grin. 

“I can’t believe I get to be married to you. You’re so pretty. My pretty husband,” he practically cooed. 

Alec heard Jacinta snort from the corner of the room and felt a fresh blush appearing as he looked up to see her backing towards the door.

“Ok, Mr. Bane and Mr. Pretty Husband, I’m leaving you two now. Mr. Bane, I just gave you some medicine for the pain, so your probably going to feel sleepy again here in a few minutes. Push the button if either of you need anything,” she instructed. 

Alec thanked her as she left but Magnus didn’t appear to notice anyone had come and gone at all. 

“Are you sure we’re married?” Magnus asked. “It seems to good to be true.”

A part of Alec still wanted to laugh, wanted to give Magnus a hard time for daring to forget. But his awe was so charming and he was finally starting to get some color back and a bigger part of Alec was just thrilled to be hearing him say anything at all. 

Alec leaned forward and kissed Magnus on the forehead and watched the way his eyes fluttered shut. 

“Yes, I’m completely sure,” he said softly. 

Magnus smiled but kept his eyes closed, and Alec wondered if the pain medication was working that quickly. 

“How long?” he asked, eyes still closed. 

“Hmm?” Alec asked. 

“How long have we been married?” Magnus said. 

Alec settled back in the horrible hospital chair, and reached for Magnus’s hand again. Magnus opened his eyes and waited for the answer. 

“Three and a half years. Nearly four.”

Now Magnus was giving him that soft smile again but this time he was watching Alec, watching the way Alec returned it with one of his own. Alec felt the stress of the last three hours truly begin to dissolve a little. He brought Magnus’s hand to his lips and kissed it. 

“I love you so much,” he said.

Magnus was beginning to blink heavily, fighting the medication that was luring him back to sleep. 

“Love you too,” he mumbled. 

Magnus was still for a moment and Alec thought he had fallen asleep, then suddenly he was yanking his hand from Alec’s grip. He brought it an inch from his face and examined it carefully. 

“Why don’t I have a ring?” he asked, his voice sleepy and sad. 

This time, Alec did laugh. 

“You do. You do have a ring. They had to take off all your jewelry and clothes and everything for the surgery. It’s all right over there in that little cabinet,” Alec said. 

Magnus eyed him suspiciously. 

“What?” Alec laughed again. “Do you not believe me? I’ll go get it for you if you want,” he said as he stood to retrieve it. 

“No! No, please don’t leave,” Magnus said reaching for him and grimacing a little as the movement tugged at his fresh surgical scar. 

Alec sat back down and took Magnus’s hand in both of his. 

“Hey, I am not going anywhere. I’m right here. It’s fine,” he said.

Alec kept his hold on Magnus’s hand, but used his other to smooth a loose piece of hair off his forehead. 

Magnus closed his eyes again at the touch and Alec brushed his his hand over Magnus’s hair a few more times. He felt Magnus relax his grip on his hand and sat back to watch his husband sleep. 

 

———-

“No, stop, please. It hurts to laugh,” Magnus said groaning. 

“I swear, you said my ears looked like butterfly’s wings. Oh, and that the Goddess herself molded my fingertips,” Alec said, trying not to shake Magnus’s bed too hard from laughing. 

“What does any of it even mean?” Magnus asked. 

“You’re the one who said it, so clearly all that poetry is buried deep in your subconscious somewhere,” said Alec.

“Ugh, it can stay buried. I’m horrified,” said Magnus. 

He leaned back against the pillows and pushed away the green jello that he’d been eating slowly. Alec pushed the tray towards the wall and pulled his legs further under him so he could face Magnus better from his spot on the end of tiny hospital bed. 

“You comfortable?” Magnus asked, arching an eyebrow. 

“Not particularly, but I’m glad to be next to you. Happy you ate a little bit too. I think as long as you keep that down ok, we can go home in the morning,” Alec said.

“You’re still going to take me home even though I forgot we were married?”

“Oh definitely. Even though you forgot, you were really excited about it. I wouldn’t abandon you at the hospital for that. Plus, I told Maia to make sure Church knows you forgot about him too, and he’s way less forgiving than me. That should be punishment enough,” Alec smirked. 

“Mean,” said Magnus but he was reaching for Alec while he said it. 

Alec leaned forward carefully and put his hand on Magnus’s cheek. He laid his forehead against Magnus’s and took a deep breath. Magnus brought his hand up to cover Alec’s. Alec pressed a short, gentle kiss into Magnus’s lips before sitting back. Magnus still had his hand around Alec’s and Alec felt him stroke the wedding band on his finger. Alec’s throat felt thick and all the emotion of the last day was threatening to spill out of him. Before Alec could have a total breakdown, Magnus spoke up. 

“Can I have mine back now?” Magnus asked quietly. 

“Your ring? Yes, I’ll get it for you,” Alec said. 

He stood slowly but before he went to the closet he asked Magnus, “Are you going to cry if I walk over there?”

Magnus laughed softly.

“I think I’ll be ok,” he said.

Alec took the five steps to where Magnus’s belongings were stored. His shoes were placed neatly in the bottom, his clothing folded on a shelf, and a bag on top of that. Alec opened the bag and wasn’t surprised to find he had to sift through a pile of jewelry to find the ring he wanted. But there it was; smooth platinum, three small diamonds. 

He carried it back to Magnus who was helpfully holding out his left hand. Alec grinned and slid the ring back where it belonged. 

“For the record, even though I remember, I’m still really excited about being married to you,” Magnus said. 

“Oh yeah? Well, for the record it’s pretty great being married to you too,” Alec said. “But if you ever put me through this again, I will record it.”


End file.
